Computer Generated Broadcast Video Stream for Multiple Product Sale Display

1. A method in a computer system for generating broadcast video streams for multiple products, said method comprising the steps of: a) retrieving a list of items for display from a computer database, said list of items including a current list of items and a queued list of items, wherein each item represents a product for sale; b) updating availability information for each item in said list of items, wherein availability information changes for each item as the item's available quantity changes as the item is being sold; c) building a first item container for a first one item in said current list of items, said first one item container containing an item identifier, an item graphic, and an item description related to said first one item in said list of items; d) building a second item container for a second one item in said current list of items, said second one item container containing an item identifier, an item graphic, and an item description related to said second one item in said list of items; e) creating a broadcast video stream for displaying said first item container and said second item container; f) repeating steps a) through e) for all items in said list of items whereby each item in said current list of items is sequentially added to said broadcast video stream; and g) detecting a change in the current list of items based upon a current item's availability indication and replacing the current item with a queued item from said queued list of items in real-time and inserting into the broadcast video stream.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of a1) determining if said list of items has changed, said step a1) being performed after said step a), and if said list of items has changed, performing the steps of a2) retrieving a new list of items and a3) retrieving data on a new item, said retrieving steps being performed in real-time based upon a rate of change of said list of items.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first item container includes a price of said one item in said list of items.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein availability information of the queued items is based upon received audience preferences such that the queued list is updated in real-time relative to changes in the received audience preferences as a current item is being replaced.

5. A method in a computer system for generating a broadcast video stream for multiple products, said broadcast video stream providing for displaying sequentially a first previous container for a previous item and a current container for a current item, said method comprising the steps of: a) building a first item container in said computer for a first item in a set of current items, wherein the first item represents a product for sale, said first item container containing an item identifier, an item graphic, and an item description related to said first item in said set of current of items, a first item availability datum associated with said first item, wherein said first item availability datum changes as the first item's available quantity changes as the item is being sold; b) building a second item container in said computer for a second item in said set of current items, wherein the second item represents a product for sale, said second item container containing an item identifier, an item graphic, and an item description related to said second item in said set of current of items, a second item availability datum associated with said second item, wherein said second item availability datum changes as the second item's available quantity changes as the item is being sold; c) detecting a change in said set of current of items based upon a change in the second item availability datum and removing said second item from said second item container and adding an available item from a set of available items to said second item container in real-time; d) generating and displaying a broadcast video stream including said first item container; e) after a selected time, generating and displaying a broadcast video stream including said second item container wherein said first item container has been replaced with said second item container; and f) repeat steps b) through e) for each item in said set of current items wherein said second item is an item different than said second item used in a prior iteration of step b).

6. The method of claim 5 further including the steps of (b1) build a third item container for a third item in said set of current items, said third item container containing an item identifier, an item graphic, and an item description related to said third item in said set of current of items, a third item availability datum associated with said third item; (c1) if said third item availability datum indicates that said third item is to be removed from said set of current items, remove said third item from said set of current items and add an available item from a set of available items to said set of current items; and said step (d) further includes generating said video stream to include said third item container.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said step a) further includes building said first item container to contain a price element.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said step a) further includes building said first item container to contain an indicia of availability of said first item.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein said step a) further includes building said first item container to contain an indicia of availability of said first item, and said indicia of availability of said first item includes a color code.

10. The method of claim 5 further including in step (c) before said second item is removed from said set of current items, adding a graphic to said second item container, said graphic indicating a sold out status of said second item.

11. A computer system for a generating broadcast video stream for sequentially displaying multiple products, said system comprising: a data storage device containing a data set related to a plurality of items in a turntable list, wherein said items represent products for sale; a broadcast video switcher for creating the broadcast video stream, said broadcast video stream including information for displaying sequentially said plurality of items in said turntable list; and a video imager accessing said data storage device and communicating with said broadcast video switcher, said video imager programmed to execute a process for creating a video stream, wherein said video imager is configured to: read said turntable list from said data storage device; format and update said turntable list to build a plurality of turntable containers in real-time relative to the reading step, each one of said plurality of turntable containers corresponding to each one of said plurality of items on said turntable list, each one of said plurality of turntable containers including an item identifier, an item graphic, and an item description related to one of said plurality of items on said turntable list, wherein the update detects a change in the turntable list based upon an item's availability indication changing as the item is being sold; and output the broadcast video stream displaying at least one of said plurality of turntable containers with said at least one of said plurality of turntable containers being replaced by another one of said plurality of turntable containers after a selected time.

12. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said video stream created by said broadcast video switcher includes information for displaying at least two items from said turntable list simultaneously.

13. The computer system of claim 11 further including a workstation in communication with said data storage device, said workstation programmed to execute a process for maintaining said turntable list.

14. The computer system of claim 11 further including a workstation in communication with said data storage device, said workstation programmed to execute a process for maintaining said turntable list, said process including removing an item from said turntable list and adding a replacement item to said turntable list.

15. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said process executed by said video imager includes maintaining said turntable list.

16. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said process executed by said video imager includes maintaining said turntable list by removing an unavailable item from said turntable list and adding an available item to said turntable list.

17. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list executed by said video imager includes checking for changes to said turntable list.

18. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list executed by said video imager includes updating an available quantity for each one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

19. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list executed by said video imager includes updating a color code corresponding to an availability for each one of said plurality of turntable containers.

20. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list executed by said video imager includes determining if any one of said plurality of items in said turntable list is unavailable.

21. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list executed by said video imager includes determining if any one of said plurality of items in said turntable list is unavailable, and, if any one of said plurality of items is unavailable, adding a graphic to said video stream indicating that said one of said plurality of items is unavailable.

22. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said data set includes at least one datum selected from the group consisting of an item identifier, a graphic, a description, an availability, and a price for each one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

23. The computer system of claim 11 wherein said data set includes an item identifier, a graphic, a description, an availability datum, and a price for each one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

24. The computer system of claim 11 wherein each one of said plurality of turntable containers includes at least two elements selected from the group consisting of an item identifier, an item graphic, an item description, and an item price for a corresponding one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

25. A process executed by at least one computer programmed to generate a broadcast video stream for sequentially displaying multiple products, said process comprising the steps of: reading a turntable list from a data storage device by said at least one computer, said turntable list including identification of a plurality of items, wherein the items represent products for sale; formatting and updating said turntable list, said at least one computer building a plurality of turntable containers in real-time relative to the reading step, each one of said plurality of turntable containers corresponding to each one of said plurality of items on said turntable list, each one of said plurality of turntable containers including an item identifier, an item graphic, and an item description related to one of said plurality of items on said turntable list, wherein the updating detects a change in the turntable list based upon an item's availability indication changing as the item is being sold; and outputting the broadcasts video stream displaying at least one of said plurality of turntable containers with said at least one of said plurality of turntable containers being replaced by another one of said plurality of turntable containers after a selected time.

26. The process of claim 25 further including the step of maintaining said turntable list.

27. The process of claim 25 further including the step of maintaining said turntable list by removing an unavailable item from said turntable list and adding an available item to said turntable list.

28. The process of claim 25 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes checking for changes to said turntable list.

29. The process of claim 25 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes updating an available quantity for each one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

30. The process of claim 25 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes updating a color code corresponding to an availability for each one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

31. The process of claim 25 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes determining if any one of said plurality of items in said turntable list is to be removed from said turntable list.

32. The process of claim 25 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes determining if any one of said plurality of items in said turntable list is unavailable, and, if any one of said plurality of items is unavailable, adding a graphic to a corresponding one of said plurality of turntable containers indicating that said one of said plurality of items is unavailable.

33. The process of claim 25 wherein said video stream includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of an item identifier, a graphic, a description, and a price for each one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

34. The process of claim 25 wherein each one of said plurality of turntable containers includes at least two elements selected from the group consisting of an item identifier, an item graphic, an item description, and an item price for a corresponding one of said plurality of items in said turntable list.

35. Computer readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method of generating broadcast video streams for multiple products, said method comprising the steps of: reading a turntable list from a data storage device, said turntable list including identification of a plurality of items, wherein the items represent products for sale; and formatting and updating said turntable list and building a plurality of turntable containers in real-time relative to the reading step, each one of said plurality of turntable containers corresponding to each one of said plurality of items on said turntable list, each one of said plurality of turntable containers including an item identifier, at least one of an item graphic and an item description, and an item price for a corresponding one of said plurality of items in said turntable list, wherein the updating detects a change in the turntable list based upon an item's availability indication changing as the item is being sold; and outputting the broadcast video stream displaying at least one of said plurality of turntable containers with said at least one of said plurality of turntable containers being replaced by another one of said plurality of turntable containers after a selected time.

36. The computer readable media of claim 35 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes performing a process comprising the steps of checking for changes to said turntable list; updating an available quantity for each one of said plurality of items in said turntable list; and determining if any one of said plurality of items in said turntable list is unavailable.

37. The computer readable media of claim 35 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes a step of updating a color code associated with each one of said plurality of turntable containers, said color code corresponding to an availability of a corresponding one of said plurality of turntable items.

38. The computer readable media of claim 35 wherein said step of formatting and updating said turntable list includes a step of adding a graphic to a corresponding one of said plurality of turntable containers indicating that said one of said plurality of items is unavailable.